


Tales of the Fox & the Fawn

by mywritingbox



Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-03-15 05:58:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13607010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mywritingbox/pseuds/mywritingbox
Summary: A series of short snippets to fill my Elucien heart <3





	1. A Touch of Your Love

_Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. - Oscar Wilde_

* * *

Lucien waited a few minutes, watching her from afar. He stood at the edge of the garden and watched as his beautiful mate moved about, surrounded by flowers of every kind. Her face was scrunched in concentration as she watered her plants, her floppy garden hat shielding her from the sun. He smiled and quietly approached her, wrapping his arms around her waist when he neared, sliding the watering can out of her hand and letting it land on the ground.

Elain smiled as he gently placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Hello, dove.” he whispered softly in her ear and she giggled.

“Hello, love.”

“How are the flowers?”

“ _I’m_  taking care of them so they’re doing well.” she said, turning her head to give him a cheeky smile that had him chuckling and he leaned in to kiss her lips this time.

“Anything those lovely hands touch will always do well. Why do you think I’m in such good condition?”

Elain rolled her eyes but turned to face him and Lucien tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her fully against him. “Because I keep touching you?” she asked innocently.

“Mmm. I do love it when you touch me.” he responded, a sly grin appearing on his face and she returned his grin with a sly smile of her own.

“I love it when you touch me too.”

“If your touch keeps me well, what does my touch do to you?” he asked with a quirked brow, a hand sliding down to lightly squeeze her rear and Elain flushed.

“It makes me bloom.” she whispered then yanked him down by his shirt, crashing her lips against his. Lucien let out a growl, hoisting her up and Elain wrapped her legs around his as he lowered them down among the field of flowers.

When the two finally straightened themselves (moments, or hours or was it days later, they weren’t too sure), Elain found that she had space to plant quite a few new flowers beds.


	2. Rabbit on the Run

_“Let’s run away, because nothing matters more than you and I.”_

* * *

“Elain?”

It was silent for a moment and Lucien scanned the garden for a glimpse of his mate. She had been there only seconds ago. He took one step forward when he heard the giggle and a feral grin came on his face.

“Are we playing a game, bunny?” he called out again but Elain’s far off giggle was the only response he received and Lucien chuckled.

“You have to find me.” she called out and his eyes scanned the field of flowers, easily zeroing in on where she was crouching and he slowly made his way towards her.

“And what happens when I find you?”

“You’ll have to catch me and see.” she singsonged out to him and he watched her shuffle away, shaking his head.

“You know the rabbit always falls prey to the fox.”

“I can be a dove and fly away.”

“You’d fly away and leave me?” he asked with an exaggerated gasp and she snorted.

“You’re the one that wants to eat me!”

“That I do. I can’t help it if you’re delicious.”

Elain let out a laugh, causing her head to pop up from her hiding place and Lucien grinned, the sound of her laughter music to his ears.

“You made me give away my hiding place!” she reprimanded as she stood with hands on her hips, attempting to glare but the twitch of lips was working against her. “That’s cheating!”

“Not true, you gave it away all your own.” Lucien replied with a shake of his head and a smile. “You make it easy to hunt you, bunny.”

She held out a hand, halting him across the field from her. He quirked a brow.

“I’m going to point to a flower and if you can give me the correct name, you can move forward – closer to me. If you get it wrong, you have to move back towards the house.” Elain explained and he grinned again. “Sound fair?”

“Fair enough.” he replied, clasping his hands behind his back. “Do your worst, my love.”

Elain smirked then pointed to a flower to his left.

“That’s a passion flower.”

“The exact name?”

“[Passiflora incarnata](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2FPassion-Flower.jpg&t=OGEwMTQzYmRkNTM3ZThlMGZiMzEzYjdlMjZkYmM5MWUxNTM0YjA1NCxJMjRXMm5QSw%3D%3D&b=t%3ADdpr2y_eK-Fc9BNkbP6KRg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmywritingbox.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F170737382491%2Ftales-of-the-fox-the-fawn-ii&m=1).”

She squinted as Lucien took a step forward. Elain pointed to the next flower.

“[Angel Orchid. Zygopetalum rhein](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2FAngel-Orchid.jpg&t=MjY4ZTc4ODdjMDcyZTNhZGU5MTg5NmVmMTk2MTg4MmQ3OWUyNzk3NixJMjRXMm5QSw%3D%3D&b=t%3ADdpr2y_eK-Fc9BNkbP6KRg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmywritingbox.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F170737382491%2Ftales-of-the-fox-the-fawn-ii&m=1).”

She scowled and Lucien’s grinned widened as he took a step closer. She pointed again.

“[Dove Orchid. Peristeria elata](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2FDove-Orchid.jpg&t=MzQwN2JhNzQxZDk3ODMzODQyYzk5ZDg3MmQ0MmI3Mjc4OWFlY2U1ZCxJMjRXMm5QSw%3D%3D&b=t%3ADdpr2y_eK-Fc9BNkbP6KRg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmywritingbox.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F170737382491%2Ftales-of-the-fox-the-fawn-ii&m=1).”

Her scowl turned into smirk. “It has another name as well. What is it?”

“Sometimes they call it the Holy Ghost Orchid.”

Her smirk fell and Elain pouted. “This is too easy for you! Are you cheating again?”

He laughed then winnowed right in front of her. “Did you forget I lived in the  _Spring_  court? I frolicked in flower fields all day.”

Her lips twitched and she crossed her arms. “You frolicked?”

“Oh yes.”

“Then what’s that flower called?” she said, taking a step back and pointing to their left.

“You tell me, bunny.” he said with a playful smile and she squinted at him again.

“That’s not how the game works.”

“Same rules apply except I’ll let you chose which direction you want to go.”

Elain remained squinting, suspicious of him as he smiled a cheshire cat smile but took a step back, agreeing. “It’s a [Bleeding Heart, lamprocapnos spectabilis.”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2FBeth.jpg&t=NWIyNjkzYWYwN2VkODA1YTdmOTNhYmNiNDM0NDkyZmYyNzg5NjhmOCxJMjRXMm5QSw%3D%3D&b=t%3ADdpr2y_eK-Fc9BNkbP6KRg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmywritingbox.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F170737382491%2Ftales-of-the-fox-the-fawn-ii&m=1)

“And that one?” he pointed to the next batch of flowers taking a step towards her as she took a step back.

“The pink one? It’s a [Spider Chrysanthemum. Chrysanthemum morifolium](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.flowersacrossmelbourne.com.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2FSpider-Chrysanthemum.jpg&t=ODkwODk2OTgxZTMzZTRjMjE0YTdiYTdmM2U1NWMzZjAzMWU1ZWJkNCxJMjRXMm5QSw%3D%3D&b=t%3ADdpr2y_eK-Fc9BNkbP6KRg&p=http%3A%2F%2Fmywritingbox.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F170737382491%2Ftales-of-the-fox-the-fawn-ii&m=1).”

“Hmm.” he said, scanning the field around them. Elain had outdone herself with the garden over the years. It was wild and beautiful, batches of a variety of flowers that thrived through every weather. This could take all day. His gaze locked on hers and her eyes widened. Before Lucien could take a step forward, Elain broke out in a run and he grinned.

He stood still, giving her a head start and watched her run through the fields of flowers, laughing brightly.

Gods, he loved her.

So instead of running, Lucien took his time strolling leisurely towards her. She had the audacity to turn and stick her tongue out to him and Lucien shook his head with a chuckle.

“You can run but you can’t hide.” he mused, watching her, his gaze that of a trained hunter. “After all, the fox will always outrun the rabbit.”

“Then catch me.” she beckoned, grinning and resumed her running.

There was only so far she could go and it only took Lucien a moment or two to catch up to her breathless giggles and the two tumbled, rolling in one of the few areas that wasn’t so full of dirt.

“I caught you.” he murmured with a smirk as he hovered over her.

“I let you.”

“Maybe so.” he mused, then kissed her forehead. “But I need to ask you about one more flower.”

“Which one is that?” she asked curiously as his kisses moved to her nose and then her jawline.

Lucien let one of his fingers tilt her chin up and he leaned in, their lips meeting in a firm, possessive kiss. “This flower.” he said, kissing her lips again. “What’s this flower called?”

Elain smiled, her hands sliding up to his chest, fisting into his shirt and pulling him against her. “Yours. Only yours.”

He grinned. “My favorite kind of flower.”


	3. Territorial and Proud

_“I cannot let you burn me up, nor can I resist you. No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed.”  -- A.S. Byatt  
_

* * *

 

It wasn’t that Elain didn’t like Vassa. The enchanted queen was very friendly and pleasant.

But she had a very loud personality and made Lucien laugh.

She made Lucien laugh a lot and while Elain always wanted Lucien in a good mood and laughing, she didn’t like it when other females made him laugh. Constantly.

It also didn’t help that Vassa’s visit came around the time of their mating frenzy that had barely passed.

So it wasn’t that Elain didn’t like her. She was just a tad territorial around her mate and Elain was very aware how irrational the frenzy could make a person. But nonetheless, she was territorial.

And in Elain’s humble opinion, Vassa had over welcomed her stay.

So the logical thing was to remind the very nice, very friendly queen, that she needed to go home. This logical thing included no pants.

Elain’s bare feet padded softly down the stairs and into the hall, towards the dining area of the House of Wind where she knew they would be. By they, she meant everyone and by everyone, she specifically meant Lucien and Vassa.

She ran her fingers through her loose hair, letting it fall over her shoulder and down her back as she fixed Lucien’s tunic on her frame. She swam in it, the sleeve falling off one shoulder, and only reaching her mid-thighs. It smelled like their scents mixed together and if that wasn’t encouragement enough for the others to scatter on sight, Elain already had another way in mind.

She didn’t even have to say a word when she came into the room. She knew she had Lucien’s attention instantly, knew she had everyone’s attention now but Elain chose to head to the dining table that had an array of finger food arranged on it instead. The silence that followed her entrance merely confirmed to her that indeed, she had left everyone speechless.

Human Elain would’ve fainted at the sight of this Elain. But this Elain shed human etiquette a long time ago.

“Dove. You seem to be forgetting something.”

Lucien’s voice was breathless in her ear. His face was flushed as he stood in front of her, shielding her from everyone else’s sight. Her gaze dropped down to the crotch of his pants where his arousal was evident and Elain met his gaze again with a coy smile.

“No. I’m not forgetting anything.”

“You’re not wearing any pants.”

“I’m not wearing panties either.”

“ _Elain._ ”

“Does it bother you that I’m not wearing anything but your shirt?” she asked, innocently blinking at him, shifting a little so that she was once again in full view of their audience. She watched him run a hand over his lips.

“Not in the slightest.” he replied quietly, shifting in front of her once more. “I’m just trying to figure out why you’re doing it in front of everyone else.”

“Because I like people to know that I’m yours. And that you’re mine.” Elain replied. Her eyes flickered to the table then back to him and she smiled, shifting again. “Do you think people would know that if we fucked on the table?”

She saw, felt, and heard his breath hitch and Elain knew he was seconds away from whining.

“ _Elain_.” he begged, his body in front of hers, shielding her away from the others once more. “People already know about us, dove. We have nothing to prove.”

“Who said anything about proving to anyone?” she questioned with a quirked brow. “What if I just want you to fuck me on this table? Right here, right now.”

Lucien’s fists clenched, the scent of their arousal taking over the room and Elain was vaguely aware of their said audience trying to scatter away from them as quickly as possible.

“We have guests.” he said quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose and she giggled.

“They can watch.” she replied and tugged gently at the end of tunic. Her cheeks heated at her own bold words. “I don’t mind.”

Lucien growled, his control finally snapping. The table had been cleared (Rhys knew what would happen next) and Lucien had Elain sprawled on the table in the next second, a whimper slipping from her lips as he tore at the tunic, the shirt falling open -- Elain was a gift he was meant to unwrap.

“When I fuck you, dove,” he began, spreading her legs, his hands slowly trailing up and down her body. “ _I_ am the only one who gets the privilege of watching you unravel.”


	4. Inappropriate Interruptions

Elain’s eyes fluttered and a small moan escaped her lips as Lucien’s tongue worked her in all the ways she loved. Her fingers weaved into his hair and she yanked softly, her back arching, wanting more, more, more –

She was on cloud nine. She was soaring. She was –

– being rudely interrupted by a loud persistent knock on the door.

Both her and Lucien’s heads shot up (much to Elain’s dismay) and she whined softly.

“If we ignore it, the person will go away.” she whispered and waved a hand, falling back onto the mattress. “ _Please_ , I’m almost there.”

Lucien chuckled then dipped his head between her legs again, attempting to resume his work but the knocking continued.

“Elain, I know you’re in there. Open up.” Cassian’s voiced called out and Elain groaned when Lucien pulled away a second time.

“Go away, Cassian!” Lucien yelled out. “We’re a bit busy at the moment.”

“Butt out, Vanserra. I’m here for my appointment, you’re the one intruding.” Cassian replied, starting to knock a steady beat on the door as he waited.

Lucien quirked a brow at Elain who was grumbling. She whined softly and kicked her legs childishly as Lucien sat up, chuckling. He watched as Elain reluctantly left the bed and slipped a robe on.

“What appointment is he referring to?” he finally asked Elain and she shrugged, her frustration clear as day on her face and Lucien almost laughed. Almost. Till he was reminded of his raging hard-on when he shifted then a scowl identical to Elain’s appeared.

Elain opened the door a fraction and squinted at Cassian. “Yes, Cassian?”

“Finally!” he responded and gently moved past her into the room, coming face to face with Lucien’s glare.

“What do you want, Cassian?”

“Not your business, Vanserra. It’s between me and Elain.” Cassian replied, gesturing to the door. “Take a walk.”

“You’re in our bedroom.  _You_  take a walk.” Lucien retorted, getting out of the bed to stand next to his mate, both crossing their arms and glaring at the Commander who only smirked.

“Sorry that I interrupted you busting a nut, Lucien but I’m here for my reading. I made this appointment three days ago.” Cassian replied, rocking on the balls of his feet.

Elain sighed, rubbing at her temples as Lucien rolled his eyes then wordlessly made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“Cassian. I’m not a fortune teller.” she said through gritted teeth, shifting on her feet. She had been moments away from an orgasm.  _Moments._

“Clearly, your fortune telling needs work because you knew I was coming but chose to get down and dirty with little ‘ole Lucien here.”

“Again,  _not_ a fortune teller.”

“Sure you’re not.” he replied with a wink then sighed deeply. “Now, where should we sit? We need to talk about Nesta.”

Elain rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking to you about Nesta. You go talk to Nesta about Nesta.”

“You interrupted us to come ask about Nesta?” Lucien growled, fixing his trousers as he stepped into the room and Cassian quirked a brow.

“Having a hard morning, Lucien?”

“Don’t flatter yourself. My hard-on had nothing to do with you.” Lucien replied, moving to the bed and sitting with his arms crossed as Elain closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Cassian. What do you want?”

“Nesta. Let’s talk about my future with Nesta.”

“Cassian, I care about you and my sister’s future very deeply but I don’t want to talk about my sister right now.” Elain all but hissed at him and Cassian had the nerve to look offended.

“I made this appointment in advance. You knew I was coming.”

“ _No_. I didn’t.”

Cassian pursed his lips and rubbed his chin. “But now that I’m here, you can still tell me what I need to know, right?”

“I can tell you, Cassian, that you need to leave.” Lucien interjected.

“I also think you need to leave.” Elain agreed, her body aching to get back to the bliss it had been in moments ago.

“But I want to talk about Nesta.” Cassian said and almost pouted. Elain groaned softly.

“ _Cassian_. I – I just — Cassian.” Elain took a deep breath. “I really need you to know that I love you and Nesta but whatever it is you want to ask,  _ask Nesta_.”

“So she does like me?”

“She’s obsessed with you, she’s just too proud to say it.” Elain answered immediately.

“Will she punch me if I try to kiss her?”

“Probably.” Lucien grumbled.

“You’re not the seer, shut it.” Cassian replied, pointing at Lucien with a squint then turned back to Elain. “Will she?”

“Most likely.”

“And if I don’t kiss her?”

“She’ll definitely punch you then.”

“Can’t win either way.” Cassian mumbled to himself then grinned. “Always keeping me on my toes, that beautiful woman.”

“Can you please go tell her this and leave us alone?” Lucien asked with a glare.

“Hey, I had a set time.”

“Cassian!” Elain finally snapped. “I have been very patient with you but I need you to go.”

“But Nesta –”

“ _I want my husband to fuck me, Cassian! I want an orgasm! I want to come!_ ”

Lucien sniggered as Cassian stared at her in horror. “Cauldron, Elain – alright!”

“Please leave.” she practically whined and Cassian grumbled making his way to the door, Elain following to shuffle him out. As she was about to close the door, he turned and pointed at her with a frown.

“You owe me another session!”

Elain paused and narrowed her eyes at him. “All Nesta wants is for you to toss her over your shoulder and make her feel like a woman.” she said. “Do what you will with that information.”

Cassian’s eyes gleamed as she slammed the door in his face and turned back to Lucien who had doubled over in laughter.

“She’s going to kill him if he does that.”

“Serves him right for interrupting us.” Elain replied and ripped off her robe, tossing it to the floor as she made her way into the awaiting arms of her husband. Elain straddled Lucien in an instant and he quickly flipped them over, his hand sliding between her legs.

“You want me to fuck you, dove?”

“I don’t want to be able to walk for the next two days.” she said breathlessly and whimpered as his fingers dipped where she wanted him. A feral grin bloomed on Lucien’s face.

“That hard, hm?”

“Hard enough that I get an actual vision.” 

* * *


	5. Morning Mischief

Lucien woke slowly, pleasantly, his eyes sleepily looking around him. It was morning, the sun brightly shining through their open windows, a gentle breeze seeping through. He was almost ready to dive right back into sleep when a pillow smacked him across the head.

“What the --”

He turned quickly, a hand rubbing his head to find Elain glaring at him. He blinked.

“What was that for?”

“You did something stupid and I’m really mad at you.” she said and he blinked again.

“But I was asleep.”

“I had a vision. You did this stupid thing and I am  _so_  angry with you.” she replied and her glare intensified. Lucien blinked rapidly then snorted.

“How are you mad at me for something that hasn’t happened yet? I don’t even know what it is that I did.”

“Oh you’ll know.” Elain replied and hit him with the pillow again. “I’m going to stay mad at you until you fix it and apologize for the stupid thing.”

Lucien gave her a look. “Elain. I don’t even know what I did.”

She ignored him and started neatly stacking pillows between their bodies down the length of the bed. He watched her, both brows raised in amusement.

“Tell me what I did.”

“No.”

“How can I apologize if I don’t know what I did?”

“You’ll  _know_.”

“Elain.” he started, moving one of the pillows and her hand instantly clutched his in a death grip.

“You are not allowed on my side of the bed until you atone for your mistake. Pillow wall stays.”

“This is ridiculous!”

“You did a stupid thing!”

“I’m sorry in advance!”

“I don’t accept it in advance!”

“You’re mad at me in advance! You should accept my apology in advance!”

“No.”

Lucien waited for a moment, a frown on his face then sat up, leaning against their pillow wall.

“What did I do?”

“You’ll know when you do it.”

“Does it have to do with your garden?”

“No.”

“Does it have to do with your sisters?”

“No.”

“Does it have to do with sex?”

Elain turned to squint at him then shoved his head back and he yelped.

“ _No.”_

He pursed his lips and squinted at his mate. What could he have possibly done?

“If I give you multiple orgasms before breakfast, will you accept my apology in advance?”

Elain pursed her lips in return, assessing him and Lucien did his best to give her as much of an innocent look as he could.

“An orgasm or two after breakfast as well?” he offered and she squinted.

“Sex won’t fix the problem.”

“But it’ll make it better?”

“I’m still going to be mad when you do the thing.”

He groaned. “But what did I do?!”

“I’m not going to tell you because it won’t stop it from happening!”

“Then don’t be mad at me in advance!”

Elain crossed her arms and huffed. “You’re an idiot.”

“You’re probably right but nonetheless, I am an idiot that you love.” he replied and gave her a charming smile that she rolled her eyes to.

“I’m still mad.”

“Not as mad as before.” he said, leaning towards her across their pillow wall to poke her cheek and Elain leaned back, her lips twitching slightly.

“Stay on your side.”

“But I want to cuddle with my mate. We always cuddle in the morning.”

“Not this morning.”

He squinted at her then pulled his favorite card --  the sad, unloved child card. Lucien sighed dramatically.

“That’s alright. No one likes to cuddle with me. I’m used to being cuddle-less.”

Elain scowled. “Don’t you start!”

Lucien turned his body from her, on his side. “It’s alright, Elain. I understand. I’m not cuddle material. People don’t want to cuddle me. I’m hideous.”

Elain made a noise behind him and he struggled not to smile as she shuffled over to his side and forced him on his back to crawl on top of him.

“Don’t you dare start saying those things Lucien Vanserra or I’ll smother you with a pillow!”

“I understand. I’m so hideous you need to smother me with a pillow so you don’t see my face anymore.” he deadpanned and she growled, grabbing a pillow and started smacking him with it.

He laughed and held up an arm to dodge some of the attacks, grabbing his own pillow to swat her with before he flipped them over and Elain squealed.

“Lucien.” she warned and he leaned in to kiss her on the lips.

“I love you, dove.”

“I love you too but you’re very annoying and I still want to smother you with a pillow.”

“My favorite kind of love.”

She scowled at him again and he smiled, leaning in to kiss her once more.

“Since we skipped our usual morning greeting -- good morning dove.”

“Mm.”

“Are you going to tell me what I did?”

“No.”

“Guess I’m just going to have to smother you with love so you’ll forgive me.”

Elain rolled her eyes. “You can start by making me breakfast.”

“So you want to skip pre-breakfast orgasms?” he asked with a quirked brow.

"No. You’re a talented individual. Multitask.” she replied with a smirk and Lucien pursed his lips.

“Tell me what I did first.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

He sighed then grinned and scooped her up, tossing her over his shoulder as she giggled. “The kitchen counter awaits, my lady.”


	6. Tools of the Trade

Everyone noticed it immediately. The the two of them had walked in and gone to opposite sides of the room.

They had all come together for breakfast at Feyre and Rhys’ townhouse and rather than sit next to each other as they always did, Elain had gone straight to the table, squeezing between her sisters while Lucien had taken a seat in the sitting room facing the table.

Feyre and Nesta glanced at each other then at Elain, who was sitting with her back straight, more rigid than usual.

“Something wrong?” Feyre asked quietly and Elain shook her head, biting into a muffin.

“Did you two have a fight?” Nesta asked and Elain shook her head again, wiggling slightly in her seat.

“No. We’re fine.”

“Then why is it so tense?” Rhys asked, his eyes on Lucien who was flipping through a book Feyre had left lying around.

“Because you’re all making it tense.” Lucien replied calmly. “We’re fine.”

Azriel suddenly made a choking sound and all eyes turned to him.

“What’s wrong?” Mor asked, a bagel pausing in front of her mouth.

“Nothing.” he immediately responded but all eyes went to the shadows curled around his ear, telling him secrets he didn’t ask to know. He met Lucien’s gaze but the redheaded male only replied with a small smile and Azriel rolled his eyes, scowling.

Everyone else exchanged glances but Elain and Lucien, one eyeing a muffin, the other eyeing the book. Amren leaned against the table and squinted at Azriel.

“What are your shadows telling you?”

“Things I wish I didn’t have to know.” he muttered, shooting Lucien an annoyed look but the latter only smirked in return, his eyes now on Elain who was biting her lip, eyes squeezed shut.

“Alright, alright. Whatever it is, hug it out.” Cassian interjected, his eyes darting between the couple and back to Nesta, who looked about ready to launch herself at Lucien with a knife.

Elain let out a breathless chuckle and turned her head to meet her mate’s gaze.

“Do you want to hug me?” she asked playfully.

“No.” Lucien deadpanned and everyone else at the table froze. But Elain’s smile only grew wider.

“Do you want to…” she began again then mouthed the words, “ _fuck me?_ ”

“Every moment of everyday, dove.” he replied, his smirk responding to her breathless giggle that quickly turned into a quiet whimper.

“Here we go.” Azriel muttered quietly, everyone’s eyes on him but the couple.

“What’s wrong?” Feyre asked, her expression of confusion matching almost everyone’s except Azriel who tilted his head back with a sigh.

“N-nothing.” Elain replied with a small giggle but her fingers were clenching the edge of the table.

“I don’t --- I don’t get paid enough to deal with you people.” Azriel said, tossing his fork and standing while Lucien chuckled.

“What the hell is this about?” Cassian asked and turned to Rhys who was eyeing Lucien with a look of interest as Elain let out another soft whimper. Cassian’s eyes shot back to Elain and then to Lucien then back to Azriel, who was making his way to the kitchen.

“Hey!” Mor said, standing up, her finger pointing from Elain to Lucien. “We banned this! We banned sexual activities while we’re in group settings! We saw enough of this when Rhys and Feyre mated!”

“Sexual activities?” Nesta asked, glancing at her sister. Elain flushed but ignored Mor’s accusation, eyes glued on her muffin.

“We’re not doing anything.” Lucien spoke cooly. “I’m all the way over here and Elain is all the way over there, Mor. Talk some sense.”

“I don’t know how you’re doing it but stop it!” Mor demanded. “We’re eating!”

“Well then, sit down and eat, Morrigan. No one is stopping you.” Lucien replied with a chuckle.

Mor glared at him then grabbed the whole tray of muffins off the table. “I’ll be eating in the kitchen away from you mated freaks.”

She stalked into the kitchen as Elain shot out of her seat.

“Bathroom.” she blurted and quickly darted out of the room. Lucien’s eyes followed her, especially when she paused and leaned against the doorway for a moment, drawing another breath.

 _Don’t touch yourself._   He whispered down their bond.  _Or you’ll be in trouble_.

She looked over her shoulder and met Lucien’s gaze with a pout.  _But I really want to._

 _Elain. That’s not the appropriate response_. Don’t  _touch yourself._

She bit her lip then loosened a breath as she gripped the doorway.  _Yes, my lord._

Lucien chuckled as she darted out of the room, his eyes back on the book in front of him, ignoring the way everyone left was watching him.

“Aren’t you going to check on her?” Nesta asked with a glare.

“She’s fine.”

“She seems sick, Lucien.” Feyre asked, quirking a brow at her friend.

“I can assure you, she’s fine.” Lucien replied, finally meeting their gaze. “But by all means, go check on her if you don’t believe me.”

The two Archeron sisters shared a glance then immediately went after their sister. Lucien watched them leave with a small smile then met Rhysand’s gaze who burst out laughing.

“Where did you get it?” the High Lord asked with a grin.

“Get what?” Cassian asked.

“Libraries aren’t the only thing that’s popular in the Day Court.” Lucien replied with a smirk, then held out a small device for Cassian to see.

“What’s that?”

“A pretty useful tool for teasing your mate.”

Cassian squinted at the device for a moment and both, Lucien and Rhysand waited for it to click.

Cassian blinked. “Vibrating panties.”

“Yup.”

“That you control.”

“Yup.”

“Nesta would never.” he instantly replied.

“Never say never.”

“Feyre totally would.” Rhys said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

“How the hell did you get her to wear them to breakfast?” Cassian asked with a snort.

“She lost a bet.” Lucien said with a grin then pointed between the two males. “I already have your gifts neatly wrapped up for you to use as you see fit. Thank me later.”

Silence filled the room as each male let their thoughts drift to a much dirtier place. It wasn’t until Amren cleared her throat that they remember she was still there.

She met Lucien’s gaze. “Do they make something like those for males as well?”


	7. The Lucien Effect

Elain watched her mate as he crouched by her side, hands digging into the dirt of their new garden.

Her father in law, (a term she was still getting used to) Helion, had insisted they make their new home as  _them_ as possible. Which immediately meant planting a new garden for Elain. Though they’d only be living here occasionally, Helion assured Elain the garden would be well-taken care of in their absence.

Except Elain was too busy thinking about other things aside from her garden. Her thoughts mainly surrounded Lucien and how good he looked, gardening beside her. It was far from the first time he was doing it, but maybe because this new environment brought out something else in him, an aura that almost made him glow. She watched him, the muscles in his strong arms working and then her eyes zeroed in on his thighs. His very nice, strong, thighs that she was very familiar with.

“If you keep looking in the direction of my crotch without explaining yourself we’re going to be getting a lot more dirtier out here, dove.” his voice prodding through her thoughts and Elain blinked.

She laughed then poked his thigh and pinched it. “It’s your thighs. You have really nice ones.”

“Thank you. I tend to cause riots when I work out.” he replied with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

“Is that so?” she asked, nudging him with her shoulder. “Are people hooting and hollering at you?”

“Would you be jealous if I said yes?” he replied with a sly smile.

“No. Because if I was there, I would be hooting and hollering too.”

“Is that so?” he echoed, his grin widening.

“Mmm. Difference is,” she began, pulling the small shovel from his hands and tossing it to the side as she pushed him back and straddled him. “ I’m the one that gets to take you home.”

Lucien smirked, his eyes darting quickly to the lovely new home a few feet away. “How do you feel about christening our new home right here, right now?”

“Right here, right now?” she repeated with a grin.

“No time like the present.”

“But your father --” she began with a giggle when he picked her up.

“Is in full support. The things he’s already recommended,  _cauldron.”_

Elain laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Are you going to try his recommendations on me?” she whispered in his ear and Lucien chuckled.

“Once I forget that  _he_ recommended them, you bet I will.”

“Can I start the fun?” she asked with a cheeky grin and he quirked a brow, pausing in his step.

“And how do you want to start the fun, dove?”

“By leaving love bites on those really nice thighs of yours.” Elain replied, beaming at him and Lucien laughed. 

“You’re turned on by my nice thighs, huh?”

“Mmm, very. But don’t worry, I’ll move up to what’s between them.” she said, patting his chest and Lucien snorted. “I’m turned on by  _that_  too.” 

“Oh I know. You make the most delicious sounds when  _that_ comes near you.”

“I make the most delicious sounds when  _any_  part of you comes near me.” she corrected, poking his nose. “It’s called the Lucien effect. Such a gift. Such a blessing.”

He grinned. “You’re about to find out just how blessed you are, dove. They’re going to hear you all the way back in the Night Court.”


	8. A Family of Our Own

Lucien settled on his stomach, arms folded underneath his head to serve as a pillow. Elain had straddled his back, her fingers combing through his hair as she hummed quietly to herself. It had been a peaceful day, the two spending quality time exploring all Velaris had to offer.

Lucien watched her out of the corner of his eye before facing forward and closing his eyes. He thought back to all the sights they had seen as they explored and one particular image had stayed rooted in his brain.

“What are you thinking about?” Elain asked as she started braiding his hair. “You’re a bit tense, Lu.”

He tried to relax his body as he prepared himself to explain. “I was just thinking about when I first came to Velaris.” he said quietly.

“What about it?” she asked, her fingers pausing.

“One of the first things I noticed were children laughing.” he continued. “It had been a long time since I’d heard that sound.”

“It was that bad?” she whispered, as she tied off the end of his braid and tugged gently to indicate she was done.

“Very.” he answered softly. “Watching those little children run around the Sidra today...it reminded me of that first moment.”

He felt her slide off him and Lucien turned his head to face her. Elain slid her body next to his, pressing against him and her gaze locked with his, full of worry.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly. Lucien turned on his side, one arm still underneath his head, the other now wrapped around Elain’s waist. He was hesitating. He knew he shouldn’t be but he was. His eyes flickered to hers then rested on her bare shoulder.

“You do...want children, right?”

“Of course.” she answered immediately. “Don’t...don’t you?”

“I do.” he replied then swallowed. “I’m just worried.”

Elain braced herself on her elbows, brows furrowed as she watched him. “What are you worried about?”

Lucien focused on where his arm was resting. Focused on the sleeping gown she was wearing. He couldn’t meet her gaze.

“Talk to me, Lucien.” she said gently.

“I’m worried...about whether I’d be a good father or not.” he replied quietly. “You know what my family was like...how they are. I don’t know if any of that will seep into the way I raise them.”

Elain’s expression softened and she settled back down next to him. “Why would you think of it that way? You’re not like them. You’d never be like them, much less treat others the way they treated you.”

His mouth formed a thin line and he met her gaze for a fleeting moment then looked away again, focusing on her shoulder. “...I think I want to have lots of children because I know what it’s like to have no one.  I want a big family, one where they all feel loved and cared for and happy. Where they’ll always have each other.” he began and she gave him a small smile.

“That sounds like what I want too.”

He forced a small smile of his own then his expression fell again. “But then I get worried. What if they start hating each other? What if they get pitted against each other and turn into what my brothers are? What if all they do is fight? We were a big family but definitely not loving.” he continued and then met her gaze. “I don’t know if I could live with that.”

“Oh, Lu.” she said softly and leaned in to place a chaste kiss on his lips. “Our children would never be like that...we wouldn’t raise them to be like that. You may have grown up in a family that didn’t treat you the way family should be treated but you are nothing like them nor will you ever be.” she stated and brought a hand up to tilt his face towards her so Lucien would meet her gaze. “You’re caring, dependable, thoughtful, and you have so much love that you want to share. You are so full of love and I am thankful to have you. Thankful that you love me because I didn’t know it could feel like this until you.”

Lucien looked at his wife and he swallowed when Elain gave him a soft smile. He blinked rapidly before burying his head in the crook of her neck and she hugged him tightly against her.

“The circumstances you grew up in don’t get to dictate your life or our future together. We get to decide how to raise our family and we are going to raise them to be the most wonderful, lovely children to ever grace this life. You’ll see.” she said calmly, tugging on his braid. “I have no doubt in my mind that you will be an excellent father.”

He sighed pulling back to gently kiss her lips, his hand coming up to tug gently on a strand of her hair. “You really think so?”

“Of course I do.” she confirmed with a smile. “You should too. You’re already a great husband. Snarky and very annoying but still good.”

He chuckled, his hand now running through Elain’s hair. “I’ll probably be an annoying father as well then.”

“Definitely. Our children will think we’re annoying because we’ll be the type of parents who embarrass them by loving them too much in front of their friends.”

“I want to be as embarrassing as possible.” Lucien confirmed with a nod and Elain laughed.

“I shall assist.”

“You’re too adorable to be embarrassing, dove.”

“Well, I’ll be cheering you on while you’re being embarrassing so I think it’ll even out.” She said with a nod and he laughed then kissed her again.

“How many kids do you want to have?” he asked her quietly and her face lit up.

“Six. Or eight. Or ten.”

“ _Ten?”_

 _“_ You do call me bunny.” she said with a giggle and he rolled his eyes. “Bunnies are known for their breeding.”

Lucien snorted. “You do know pregnancies with fae aren't as easy as it is with humans, right?”

Elain shrugged. “Your mother had many so I’m sure you’re fertile enough.” she said with a wink and Lucien rolled his eyes. “Besides, we’ll have fun trying until we get there.”

“That we will.” he said with a grin. “Which do you want first? A male or female?”

“Either. Both. I don’t care as long as we have many of them.” she replied. “I already have the first two names picked out if you would be so kind to agree to them.”

He quirked a brow. “Let me guess, it has something to do with flowers?”

Elain flushed but smiled as she traced a finger over his collarbones. “Would you mind?”

“Never.” he said, kissing her forehead with a smile. “Tell me.”

“Rose for our first daughter and Ren for our first son.”

The words daughter and son rang through Lucien’s head as watched Elain discuss excitedly. She would be there through it all and there was no doubt in his mind of how lovely a mother she would be. They would have the most rowdy children, filled with love and light and all the goodness they could offer them.

Lucien would make sure of it.


	9. Quickie for Luck

“Lucien, hurry -- please --”

A slap to her ass had her whimpering as Lucien shoved her against the bathroom sink, skirts up, and yanked the little lacy excuse of panties down.

“Hush dove, we can’t let them hear you. The high lords won’t approve.”

“Please, please, _please_.” she begged but Lucien only slapped her ass again. She moaned quietly and Lucien smirked.

“I’ve barely touched you and you’re already so wet, aren’t you, pet?” he whispered in her ear, one hand gently wrapped around her throat, pulling her against him as his fingers rubbed at her bundle of nerves.

 _“Lucien._ ” she whined as his hand went lower and he started slowly pumping two fingers in her and Elain arched against him. He yanked her closer and another breathless moan escaped her lips.

“You have to stop giving me those looks before we go to these meeting, dove. Otherwise I’ll spend more time fucking you in corners and bathrooms than I’ll spend talking to people.” he said calmly, his thumb working her bundle of nerves as the pace of his fingers quickened and Elain mewled softly, her hands clenching at his forearms.

“I want you to fuck me.” she breathed. “Please fuck me.”

A feral grin replaced Lucien’s smirk and in an instant, he had replaced his fingers with his cock in one hard thrust, filling her to the hilt and Elain let out a scandalous sound that Lucien was sure everyone else in the building had heard.

The hand on her throat tightened slightly and the lightheadedness heightened all her senses, his other arm snaked around her waist and Elain tighten her grip on his arm while the other held onto the counter of the sink as he began a frantic rhythm of hard thrusts. Filthy words, moans, and heavy panting filled the small space and when Elain let out a whine, Lucien knew she was as close as he was. He met her gaze in the mirror and the sight of her biting her lip, eyes rolling back had him thrusting quicker, closer to the edge they both needed to reach.

“Come for me, dove.” he breathed in her ear and she moaned. “ _Now_.”

Elain’s body stilled as her walls tightened around him, whimpering his name as Lucien cursed, spilling himself in her with a low groan. Elain crumbled against him and Lucien held her, his thumb lightly caressing her throat as they breathed heavily.

He placed a gentle kiss on her temple as he pulled out then quickly cleaned them both up while Elain leaned against the sink, a dazed look in her eyes. Lucien leaned in, brushing his lips on her neck, her jawline, and then her lips.

“Now behave for the rest of the meeting and I promise we’ll have more fun afterwards, sound good?” he murmured, fixing his pants then her skirts.

“What kind of fun?” she asked with a breathless giggle.

“The kind that has you on all fours with a collar around your throat.”

“And if I don’t behave?”

“You’ll still be on all fours but you’ll be punished instead.”

“Will you spank me?” Elain asked with a coy smile and heated cheeks causing Lucien to chuckle.

“I most definitely will, even though you like it too much.” he replied, pulling her against him again, his hand snaking towards her ass and pinching, earning him a squeal. “Let’s go pretend to be presentable and see how you do.”

* * *

 


	10. Team Ginger

It was early morning.The sun was peeking in, giving the room a nice light and warmth that had Lucien relaxing against his pillows, reading in bed. It was peaceful, calm, and quiet with Elain outside in her garden.

Until she burst back into the room and came bouncing on the bed. She crawled in his lap, immediately straddling him with a wide smile and moved the book out of the way.

“Hi.” She greeted, leaning in to kiss him and he smiled amusingly.

“Hi. Something exciting happen?”

“Yes!” She practically squealed. “Guess what I found in the garden?”

Lucien’s brow furrowed and he held back a laugh. “I’m going to go with a wild and unpredictable guess and say, flowers?”

She swatted him gently then bounced again excitedly.

“No! Guess again!”

“With the way you’re bouncing in my lap, bunny, it’s a little difficult to think of anything.”

She rolled her eyes but stopped then grabbed his face and brought it close to hers. “Guess again!”

“Did you find an actual bunny? Because I’m not going to get attached to one and then Cassian will just take it from us again.” Lucien complained and Elain laughed.

“No, but close!”

He pursed his lips and squinted. “Is it another animal?”

“Yes.”

“If you’re using this moment to join in on the fox jokes that everyone else keeps using --”

“No, no not a fox!” she said with a laugh, cutting him off. “I wouldn’t do that!”

“Smart answer.” he replied and flicked her nose. “Then what is it?”

“A kitty!” She said with a squeal. “I found it hiding in one of the bushes! The poor baby is so small and was shivering! And oh, I just had to take her in, Lucien. We have to take her in!”

Elain gave him her best pout, eyes wide in a pleading look and he snorted.

“You already seem to have adopted the kitten. I don’t see why you’re concerned on whether I’d agree or not.” he replied playfully and Elain lowered her gaze, the pout still there.

“I understand if you don’t want the kitty. I’ll just leave it out on the street where it’ll probably starve to death and be unloved and lonely and --”

Lucien put a finger to her lips, silencing her with an exasperated look.

“You don’t have to guilt trip me. I am more than happy for us to adopt this kitten if you really want to.” he said with a chuckle. Elain squealed in delight, giving him a quick kiss then slipping off him and dragging him off the bed.

“Then come meet her! She’s so cute!”

Lucien stumbled after his overly excited wife as they made their way to the kitchen and his eyes fell on the little furball curled up on the counter.

“A ginger cat?”

Elain beamed.

“A  _ginger_  cat?”

“I know! It’s fate, isn’t it?” Elain replied with a laugh, scooping up the small kitten and handing her over to Lucien. “What should we name her?”

“If you say Ginger, I’ll start screaming.” Lucien immediately responded and Elain laughed again.

“I was thinking Buttercup. Or Butterscotch. Or oh! Tigger?”

“Let’s call her Nacho.” he replied with a grin and Elain shot him a look.

“No. It has to be a sweet name! Because she’s a sweet little kitty!” Elain cooed, a finger rubbing behind the kitten’s ear. The small kitten purred then met eyes with Lucien who squinted.

“Carrot?” he offered and chuckled when Elain glared at him.

“No!”

“Okay. Tangerine?” he offered again and Elain swatted him, causing him to laugh and the small kitten to meow. “See? She likes it.”

“Those are not cute names!”

“What about Peaches? Or Mango?”

“Are you hungry, Lucien? Because that’s your only excuse for these names.”

He laughed again then looked down at the kitten who was looking up at him. “What should we name you then?”

“How about Blossom?”

“Oh, flowers are fine but food is where you draw the line?”

“Flowers are  _always_ fine.” she said firmly, pointing a finger at him in warning and he sniggered.

“Okay okay...how about Cinnamon?”

Elain pursed her lips then lowered herself to meet eye to eye with the kitten. “How about that, Cinnamon? Is that a name you like?”

The small kitten gave a soft meow and extended a paw to Elain that had the female squealing as she took the paw.

“It’s settled then.” Lucien said with a chuckle, then held Cinnamon up. “Welcome to the Archeron-Vanserra household. Behave yourself and only pee on Cassian when you see him.”

Elain snorted, nudging him lightly. “You really want Cassian to be the first to meet Cinnamon?”

“Actually, I want Cinnamon to stay as far away from him as possible. I will not let him steal this pet too!” Lucien grumbled and Elain giggled.

“Fair enough...we should go shopping later and get some things to settle her in.” she said, her eyes gleaming. “I’m going to get her some milk.”

Lucien nodded and watched as Elain excitedly bounced around the kitchen then held the kitten up to eye level, squinting at her.

“Just so we’re clear,” he began in a soft voice. “I’m still the top ginger around. You’re cute and all but second place is all I’m offering.”

The kitten only meowed in response and Lucien nodded.

“Glad we are in agreement. And for the record, you will always be Nacho in my book. What Elain doesn’t know, won’t hurt her.”


	11. Be My Forever

“Lucien?”

“Yes, dove?”

“Lucien!”

“Yes, Elain?”

_“Lucien!”_

The urgency in her tone had him jolting off the bed and tossing the book he was reading to rush to her side in the bathroom. Lucien skidded to a stop, his eyes darting all over the room, looking for whatever could be causing her to call on him this way and his gaze locked on her, blinking up innocently at him from where she was settled.

Surrounded by bubbles, water reaching all the way to her collarbones, Elain was seated in their rather large bathtub giving him a rather suggestive look. Lucien stared for a moment, taking in the way her hair was bundled into a messy knot atop her head, a few loose strands framing her face and curling slightly from the steam.

“Might I ask what, exactly is the emergency?” he said with a quirked brow and she giggled at him. He gave her a playful scowl in return and she only smiled wider.

“Well. I was feeling terribly lonely in this big ‘ole tub. Terribly lonely and awfully vulnerable. I was hoping a certain redhead would come join me...and take advantage of me.” she said with heated cheeks, grinning. Then she bit her lip and that lip bite went straight to his cock.

“Is that so?” he asked quietly and she immediately pouted, nodding her head. “Lonely and vulnerable, hm?”

“So lonely and vulnerable.” Elain repeated, gazing at him through her lashes. Lucien’s lips twitched and he let out a dark chuckle.

“What is it you want me to do, pet?” he asked and Elain’s eyes widened in excitement.

“Take advantage of me, love.”

“What if I want  _you_  to take advantage of  _me_?” he asked with a grin, slowly stripping off his shirt and then his hands made their way to his trousers and he let it slide to the flood with his undershorts. Elain watched him, her tongue darted across her bottom lip.

“We take turns.” she replied. “You make me scream and I...well, I’ll make you come.”

She said it in such an airy, innocent tone that Lucien couldn’t help but burst out laughing, which caused her to start giggling.

“You...you are something else, little dove.” he replied, making his way to her and she leaned back against the tub, settling herself to have him over her.

“Mm. I know. It’s why you love me.” Elain said as he finally stepped in the tub and the water sloshed around them when he rested himself over her. Elain spread her legs so he could settle between them and wrapped her arms around his waist as Lucien kissed the corner of her mouth.

“How many people know this side of you like I do, my little minx?” he mumbled against her jawline as he left feather-like kisses.

“Not many but we can change that.” she replied with a grin. “Modesty gets boring when you live forever.”

“And you want to live forever?” Lucien asked, leaning back to meet her gaze.

“As long as I get to live forever with you.” she replied softly. “Will you be my forever?”

Lucien chuckled and then nipped her lips gently. “Always.” he said. “Let’s just hope forever doesn’t pass us too quickly.”

“Don’t worry, my fox.” she said, pulling him closer with a coy smile. “We’ll make every single second count.”  


	12. Ice My Cupcake

You know... when you said baking, I assumed we’d be sitting in a more comfortable position than this.” Lucien said, his lips curved up as he stared at his mate.

Elain wiggled in his lap and looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze with a smile, a pastry bag in one hand and a cupcake in another. “Am I making you uncomfortable, love? I thought you liked my butt?”

“I love your butt, dove. Especially when it’s on me.”

Elain laughed then shook her head, turning back to their main task. The two were sitting at their kitchen table, a fresh batch of cupcakes sitting in front of them. Lucien paused his own task of icing his cupcake, his arms around her and watched Elain instead, her tongue poking out the side of her mouth as she concentrated.

Despite being surrounded by an abundance of sugar, Elain would always be Lucien’s favorite treat.

“Stop staring at me and ice the cupcakes.” she mumbled, gently placing her finished piece down then grabbing another and he grinned.

“I can’t help it. I’m thinking about putting my icing all over you instead.”

Elain turned her head and gave him an unamused look in return, causing him to laugh.

“Don’t ruin our cupcake activities with your dirty mind, foxboy.”

Lucien gasped. “ _Foxboy_?!” he nearly shrieked. “All this because I wanted to ice your cupcake?”

Elain snorted.  “You’re not icing anything but the actual cupcakes. So ice the  _actual_ cupcakes!”

Lucien pursed his lips as she narrowed her eyes at him. Without warning, Lucien brought his pastry bag of red icing and smeared a bit on Elain’s cheek then licked it. She squealed.

“Stop it!” she shoved him with a laugh. “I’m not the cupcake!”

“You’ll always be my cupcake.” he replied and she rolled her eyes as she held her pastry bag up.

“I’m going to get my revenge.” Elain said, giving him a serious look that could hardly be taken seriously and Lucien grinned.

“Are you now? And what are you going to do?” he asked playfully. Elain paused and pursed her lips in thought.

“Hmm...I’m going to --”

But Lucien cut her off, the cupcake he had in his hand now smushed on her face and Elain let out a loud gasp.

“ _LUCIEN_!”

He burst out laughing at her outrage when she started punching him then directed her own icing bag to his face, smearing his face with pink icing.

“You realize if you lick me, the only thing I’ll be is aroused, right?” Lucien asked with a grin as Elain attempted to lick the cream off. She froze and glared at him instead, which made him start laughing all over again.

“ _Fine._ ” she said and slipped off his lap, kicking him lightly then standing beside him instead. Lucien’s lips twitched, trying to contain more of his laughter while grabbing a napkin to wipe off the cream she had attacked his face with and he poked her butt with his free hand.

“You know, I didn’t say that to discourage you. By all means, dove -- please lick me.” he said with a smirk. Elain ignored him, wiping her own face then focused on finishing the cupcake in her hand, neatly icing it the way she wanted. He watched her, waited a few quiet minutes, then slowly started bringing the hand holding the pastry bag up, closer to her face.

“Don’t even think about it.” Elain warned, her eyes never wavering from her cupcake.

“Or what, bunny?” he asked with a smile, his hand still held up.

Elain met his gaze, cupcake in one hand, pastry bag in the other.

“Or I’m going to tell Feyre it was  _you_  that messed up her last art piece because you were goofing around instead of moving away from it like she asked.”

Lucien gaped at her. “We agreed that was an accident.”

“That’s not what Feyre’s going to think.” she said matter-of-factly.

He squinted at her. “First you use Nesta’s horrible nickname for me and now you’re going to tattle to Feyre about me.” he said. “That’s twice you’ve betrayed me for your sisters!”

“Sisters come first.” she replied, sticking out her tongue.

He rolled his eyes with a smile. “Fair enough.”

Elain chuckled then held up her cupcake. “All done! What do you think?”

“Looks yummy, like you.” he replied, wiggling his brows.

“Oh yeah?” she asked quietly and Lucien was instantly sitting up straighter.

“Definitely, yeah.”

Elain gave him one of her signature smiles as she neared him and Lucien smiled in return.

“Then you should get a taste.” Elain said and promptly smashed the cupcake in his face, smearing it in. She giggled then stuck her tongue out once more before dashing out of the kitchen and Lucien sighed with a small smile on his face, the cupcake dropping in his lap.

“I should’ve seen that one coming.” he mumbled.


	13. Date Night

“Is this seat taken?”

Elain turned her head at the sound and gave the male a small smile.  “Well, I’m waiting for my husband. Have you seen him? He’s pretty foxy, hard to miss.”

“Foxy, huh?” the male replied with a grin. “It’s a shame you have a husband. I would’ve loved to buy you a drink.”

Her smile widened and Elain straightened in her seat. “By all means, buy me that drink. He doesn’t have to know.”

“You sure he wouldn’t mind?”

Her eyes flickered to the ring on his finger and she jerked her chin towards it. “Will your wife mind if you buy me a drink?”

The male looked at the ring and smirked. “I’m sure she won’t mind. But if I end up kissing you after that drink, we must not let anyone know.”

Elain gasped playfully. “You want to kiss me?”

“That I do. Your lips look very kissable.”

Elain bit said lip, holding back a grin then placed her hand gently over his. “My husband, he can’t ever know. It would just break his heart.”

“Oh, of course. My wife would be crushed.” he confirmed then pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. Elain giggled.

“And  _this_  is why we stopped inviting you out for drinks.” Mor’s voice broke their conversation. “You two are so disgustingly annoying!”

Elain and Lucien’s heads turned to the three sitting beside them, Lucien’s lips still on her hand.

“To be fair, we didn’t know you guys would be here.” Elain said with a sheepish smile.

“Don’t be so mean, Morrigan. My wife and I like to play games.”

“Go play them somewhere where the rest of us don’t have to see it.” Cassian said with an eye roll as Azriel chuckled next to him.

“Nesta still ignoring you, huh Cassian?” Lucien asked with a smirk but Cassian only flipped him off.

“And we thought Rhys and Feyre were annoying, dear gods.” Mor said with a scoff, her eyes darting to where the High Lord and Lady were giggling in a corner as Elain slid onto Lucien’s lap.

“I want to be annoying with Nesta.” Cassian mumbled.

“You’re annoying all on your own, Cas.” Azriel confirmed with a pat to his shoulder and Cassian scowled at him when Mor started laughing.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing, Mor. You’re annoying all on your own too, even more so when your little Winter Court friend pops in for a visit.”

Mor flushed and squinted at him. “Leave her out of this.”

“ _Leave her out of this_.“ Cassian mimicked then stuck his tongue out and Mor snorted.

“Nesta told you not to touch the book she was reading. She had a surprise planned out for you with it and you ruined it.” Mor said. “Your fault.”

“I am aware.”

Elain and Lucien watched the two with amusement until Elain turned her head and met Lucien’s gaze instead and she gasped.

“Husband!”

“Wife.” he replied with raised brows.

“You’re here. Another male almost kissed me, you would’ve been furious.” she said with a playful pout. Lucien feigned shock.

“Can you believe it? Another female almost kissed me too. You would’ve been outraged, dove.”

“These people that can’t keep their hands to themselves! Whatever will we do?”

“I like it when you can’t keep your hands to yourself.” he said with a grin that Elain returned.

“I like it when you can’t keep your hands to yourself too.”

“No one wants to touch either of you,  _gods_.” Mor muttered, taking a sip of her drink.

“If you’re going to keep interrupting us,  _Morrigan_ , I’m going to have to ask you to move away.” Lucien replied.

“If you keep calling me  _Morrigan_ in that tone, I’m going to pour my drink on you.”

“If you two don’t play nice, I’m going to pour  _my_  drink on both of you.” Elain interjected.

“Can I pour my drink on both of them anyways?” Cassian added.

“Can you all just pretend to be civil so we don’t get kicked out?” Azriel said.

“We’re on a date here. You guys are ruining it.” Lucien said with a sigh.

“Is this the one where you guys pretend not to know each other and then fuck in the bathroom?” Cassian asked with a raised brow.

“That’s none of your business.” Elain replied, flushing but Lucien smirked.

“We’ve already done that at this bar.”

“Lucien!” Elain reprimanded, shoving him lightly while he laughed.

“What do you mean at  _this_ bar?” Mor asked then held up a hand. “Wait, no. I already know. Elain, Lucien is a terrible influence on you.”

Elain laughed when Lucien shot Mor a reproachful look. “Did you hear that, husband? You’re a terrible influence.” she said, cupping his cheeks and he rolled his eyes.

“If only they knew the kind of influence you had.” Lucien replied and Elain flushed. “They wouldn’t think you’re so innocent then.”

Elain gave another playful gasp. “Don’t spread such lies! Or else I’ll find that strange male and have him kiss me!”

Lucien grinned. “You’d let a strange male kiss you when you have such a foxy husband willing to do so?”

“He’s not so foxy when he exposes our secrets like this.” Elain refuted.

“You both suck at being discreet in general.” Cassian said with a snort.

“Says the loud, giant oaf of an Illyrian.” Mor said with her own snort.

“Really Cassian, that’s rich coming from you.”

“Well, easy for you to say, Az. You can just disappear!”

“Even if I couldn’t, I’m still way more discreet than you.”

Elain met Lucien’s gaze then leaned into his ear and whispered, “Want to ditch them and go pretend to be strangers that make-out under the stars?”

He grinned. “Do I ever.”


	14. Bringing Sexy Back

Lucien’s head shot up as the front door of his home slammed shut.

“Elain?”

He could only blink rapidly as his mate came stomping into the room, face flushed in anger and she stood in front of him, arms crossed.

“Whatever it is, I didn’t do it.” he immediately blurted but Elain’s angry scowl only deepened.

“It’s not you.”

“Then what’s wrong, dove? Who do I have to fight?”

“Feyre!”

Lucien blinked. “Yeah, no. Not going there, love. Sorry.”

“Lucien!” she growled then stomped her foot, pointing at him. “Tell me the truth!”

“...Alright.”

“Do you think I’m sexy or not?”

Lucien blinked again and his lips twitched. “Uh, of course I do, dove.”

“I’m serious!” she whined then angrily threw herself on the couch next to him, arms still crossed, scowl still evident. “I can be sexy, can’t I?”

He gave her a bewildered look then snorted. “Elain, where is this coming from?”

Her face fell. “You don’t think I’m sexy?”

“I -- I think you’re beautiful, dove. Adorable, stunning, and you definitely can be sexy.” he immediately replied.

“But it’s not the first thing you think of when you think of me, is it?” She asked with a pout. “I’m not considered sexy at all, am I?”

Lucien choked back a laugh. “Elain. The first thing I think of when I see you is how you’re the love of my life. Physical appearance comes way down the list.”

“Ugh, this isn’t the moment to be  _romantic_ , Lucien!” Elain said with a huff and he laughed.

“You’re sooo sexy, Elain. Such a sexy pout, my pants get so incredibly tight at the sight of you.”

“Lucien.” she warned.

“Especially when you go around stomping childishly. Too sexy. I can barely handle myself.”

“Keep talking, Lucien Vanserra and I promise you --”

“Stop it, Elain. You’re too sexy when you start threatening me, I just can’t take it.”

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to --”

“That’s it, I’m coming in my pants, be prepared to help me clean.”

“ _Lucien!_ ”

He finally burst out laughing and Elain huffed, swatting at him, which only caused Lucien to laugh harder.

“What’s this about?”

Elain scowled. “We were looking at dresses and Feyre said this beautiful dress I tried on was too sexy for me but then Nesta tried it on and she said it was perfect for her.” she said. “Meaning I’m not sexy enough to wear it! I told them I could be sexy too but they just started teasing me!”

Lucien bit back a laugh, his lips twitching.

“It’s because I’m not as curvy as they are. And I have small boobs. It’s always the boobs!”

“I love your small boobs, dove.”

She glared at him and he cleared his throat, blinking innocently at her.

“You think this is hilarious, don’t you?”

“No.”

“I  _see_  your face, Lucien! Go ahead, laugh!”

He let out a little chuckle then pulled her against him. “They were just giving you some sisterly love.” he began and Elain made a noise of protest. “Besides, you will always be the most sexy to me. My favorite Archeron sister by far.”

She turned her head to face him and quirked a brow him to find him grinning. “Oh now you play the favorites card, huh.”

“But you  _are_  my favorite.”

“I better be.”

“I think you’re very sexy. So sexy.” he continued, nodding. “Too sexy that there aren’t enough words that could properly describe it.”

“Alright, that’s enough.”

“No, no. You must understand. You are the perfect amount of sexy in every way.”

“Enough now.”

“But you’re so incredibly sexy, Elain. I don’t think you understand that I’m about to explode at the sight of you.”

She rolled her eyes with a snort. “Which part of you is about to explode?”

“You know which part, my little dove. Don’t be coy.” he said with a grin. “I can take my pants right off to give you a view if you’d like. Easier for you to help me with it.”

“I think you can help yourself just fine.”

“So sexy.” he whispered, wiggling his eyebrows and Elain’s lips twitched.

“You’re the worst.”

“Even when you’re insulting me, it’s so sexy it hurts.”

“ _The_ worst.” she repeated.

“Remember when you fell off the chair while trying to seduce me on our last date night? The sexiest.”

“That happened  _one_  time! You said you’d never bring it up again!” Elain gaped with a flush and he burst out laughing all over again.

“I’m just giving you an example of how you could fall off chairs and still be sexy, dove.” Lucien said with a grin and she glared at him. “Sexiness intensified.”

“I’ve never going to try to seduce you again.” she replied with a huff, crossing her arms and Lucien chuckled.

“That’s alright, I’ll do all the work from now on.”

“You sure will be!”  she said, shooting him a glare that was more playful than her previous ones and he grinned. “So you can make up for this unsupportive behavior.”

He exaggerated a gasp. “I am anything but unsupportive. Take off your clothes right now and I’ll show you how supportive I can be.”

She rolled her eyes again and fought back a smile. “You just want me naked.”

“Anything to support all that sexiness you have.”

She groaned. “I should’ve never said anything!”

“I’m going to have a shirt made that says ‘Elain is the sexiest Archeron sister’ on the front and then ‘She’s my mate, suck it’ on the back. Thoughts?”

“I’m going to choke you.”

“Elain, you know that only turns me on.”

“Lucien!”

“This is a losing battle, dove. Claim your loses and just get naked. We’ll both be happy.”

Elain squinted at him then sighed. “Fine. But I want cake after.”

Lucien gave her a wink and a smile. “Anything for the sexiest female in Prythian.”


	15. Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This shall wrap up season one of Tales of the Fox & the Fawn, marking the end of this first arc.

  
Elain hummed quietly to herself, adjusting the flower crown on her head as she waited for Lucien to come home.  He had noticed something had been off about her lately and while he hadn’t pushed her to share, Elain knew it was bothering him not to know.

Nothing was wrong, of course. Elain was just trying to surprise him and he was terrible at waiting to be surprised. She was also terrible at hiding surprises.

Elain was seated by their little patio table in the garden and she tapped it for Cinnamon to climb up and settle next to the gift beautifully wrapped on the table.

“Now sit still, Cinnamon. This has to be perfect.” Elain mumbled to their cat who only meowed in response as Elain settled a custom made flower crown on the cat’s head. By now, Cinnamon knew better than to rip it off -- Elain had trained her well.

The two waited, Elain closing her eyes, letting the afternoon sun wash over her. Moments later, Lucien’s voiced called out.

“Elain?”

“In the garden, love.” she replied and turned to face him when he neared, smiling. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips then paused.

“What’s this?” he asked, his gaze shifting curiously between the wrapped box to Cinnamon and her flower crown.

Suddenly nervous, Elain fiddled with her own. “It’s a surprise. Cinnamon and I put it together for you.” she replied and Lucien chuckled.

“You and Cinnamon, hm?”

“We’re a team.” Elain said, petting the cat slowly. “Open it.”

Lucien met her gaze and she knew he could see how nervous she was. Though she had no reason to be. There was nothing to be nervous about, that much she knew. But still.

His hand came to rest over hers. “You alright? Things have been odd for a few days...anything you want to talk about it?” he asked her quietly and she shook her head with a chuckle.

“No. I want you to open your gift. I -- you’ll understand when you open it.”

Lucien looked at her for another heartbeat then brought her hand to his lips, kissing it gently. “Alright.”

She smiled at him and gently pushed the box towards him. Lucien opened the lid and then looked at her curiously.

“You’re this nervous to give me a flower crown?” he asked and she rolled her eyes.

“There’s more under it! Put it on then look again!” She urged him and he immediately obeyed, adjusting his own flower crown on his head and then he paused.

Lucien paused and Elain bit her lip, holding her breath.  

It was like time had stopped and Elain’s heart was beating way too fast for it to be alright, her eyes never wavering off her mate, who was still staring inside the box.

“Well?” she finally whispered after a lifetime of silence and Lucien slowly looked up at her.

“This is real?” he asked her in a hoarse whisper and she nodded, beaming.

“Real.”

For inside the box, Elain had placed an additional flower crown. A smaller one. With a card settled in the middle of the crown that said:  _Roses are red, violets are blue. Inside me, beats two hearts for you._

“We’re having a baby.” Lucien stated and Elain nodded.

“Yes.”

“ _We’re_  having a baby.” he repeated, a finger pointing between the two of them and Elain nodded again with a laugh.

“Yes!”

“ _We’re having a baby_!”  Lucien exclaimed, shooting out of his seat, causing Cinnamon to dart off the patio table with a screech.

 _“Yes!”_   Elain confirmed with a laugh, happy tears lining her eyes and Lucien let out a noise of disbelief before falling to his knees in front of his wife. He leaned in, cupping her face and kissed her furiously then pulled back, still holding her face.

“You’re pregnant with our baby.” he whispered to her, his face lit with joy and she sniffled with a watery smile, her hands coming over his.

“I found out last week but swore Madja to secrecy.” Elain whispered in response. “I wanted to surprise you.”

“I -- I am so happy. I don’t think words could -- Elain -- a baby -- “ he stuttered and she giggled, leaning in to kiss his lips softly.

“I know...I _know_.” she replied, words failing both of them at the moment.

The two could only gaze at each other, eyes full of love, hope, excitement, and joy all in one.

“I am so in love with you. And thrilled for our future.”

“Good, because there’s more.”

“More?”

“I had a vision a few days ago.” she said slowly and Lucien’s back straightened.

“And?”

“Our dream of a house full of bouncy, beautiful kids?”

“Yes?” he asked breathlessly.

“It’s going to come true.”

“Yes?”

“Yes.”

“Are they happy?”

“All I saw was laughter and love.” she answered softly. “But I didn’t need a vision to tell me that’s how it’ll be.”

And Lucien couldn’t hold back anymore. He rested his head in his wife’s lap and broke out in tears. Tears of joy, that he was going to be given such a beautiful gift. A chance to have a family. A family that will only know love.

And this was only the beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is always welcome :)


End file.
